Winter (Young Couple Skating), from The Four Seasons
1601
Medium
Engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 21.8 × 15.9 cm (8 5/8 × 6 5/16 in.)
Classification
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
267802
Art Historical Context
Jan Saenredam’s *Winter (Young Couple Skating)*, created in 1601, is a delicate engraving from his series *The Four Seasons*, capturing the crisp joys of Dutch winter life. As a leading engraver of the Northern Renaissance, Saenam excelled in translating intricate designs—often by masters like Hendrick Goltzi—into precise prints, making fine art accessible beyond paintings. This sheet, trimmed to 21.8 × 15.9 cm and housed in the Art Institute of Chicago Prints and Drawings department, exemplifies his mastery of line and texture on laid paper, a period staple with its subtle chain-line watermar...
About the Artist
Jan Saenredam · 1565–1607
Jan Pieterszoon Saenredam (c. 1565–1607) emerged from humble beginnings in the Dutch village of Assendelft, where he was orphaned young and raised by his uncle, the local bailiff Pieter de Jongh. Initially destined for basket weaving or farm work, Saenredam's precocious talent for embellishing texts with intricate designs caught attention, leading to an apprenticeship in cartography. By 1589, at a...